Audiobooks flourish; half a dozen to sample
As you set out on end-of-summer travels or reorganize your life as school starts, consider adding audiobooks—the fastest-growing book format—to your reading life. Listen to a book while on the road, cleaning house or exercising. (You ARE planning to get in shape after a summer of cookouts and vacation eating, right?)
The days of cassette tapes that unspool right at the good part or a set of numerous CDs to keep up with needn’t trouble you now. Just as streaming has taken over TV and movie watching, easy-to-download audiobooks make listening to books easy. In this case, score a win for technology.
While I still love old-fashioned paper books and read lots of e-books, my enjoyment of audiobooks has grown these past couple of years—part of a national trend, as it turns out. For 11 years, this segment of the book market has shown double-digit growth, according to research by the Audio Publishers Association.
In the past, I listened mostly to self-help books if in the mood for a “book on tape,” but I’ve expanded in recent years to memoirs and fiction. I particularly recommend books narrated by the author, which adds another layer to the reading experience. I subscribe to www.Audible.com for a fee and get a credit a month for one book, plus certain free offers. However, area public libraries offer free audiobooks online with your library card, and other audiobook services are available online.
Here’s a sampling of titles I’ve enjoyed:
“The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece,” debut novel by actor Tom Hanks (May 2023), narrated by Hanks and a cast of voices, including his wife, Rita Wilson. If you like movies, this is an entertaining fictionalized look into how a big movie gets made—and it will keep you wondering how many of the “made-up” stories are real.
“All About Me! My Remarkable Life in Show Business,” a detail-oriented and charming autobiography of Mel Brooks (2021), narrated by the nearly-100-year-old actor whose aging voice adds to the book’s feel. Having grown up in the days of “Blazing Saddles” and “Young Frankenstein,” I was drawn to learning more about Brooks and his impact on comedy—and those segments do not disappoint. There’s much more here, though. Some comedians focus on a piece of their career, but Brooks affectionately strolls through his seven decades in show business and gives a shout-out by name to the actors, directors and writers he’s worked with.
“The Last Thing He Told Me” by Laura Dave (2021), narrated by Rebecca Lowman. A mystery about a woman’s search for the truth about her husband’s disappearance, this is a tense story that kept me guessing and is perfect for a car trip or a spell on the treadmill. (This is also now a 7-part series on Apple TV.) This isn’t my usual type of novel, but the story really stuck with me, and I had to keep listening.
“The Boys from Biloxi” by John Grisham (2022), a legal thriller narrated by Michael Beck. If you have a long drive or a room to paint, this book will make the time fly. About two families — one headed by a mobster and the other by a legal giant — this is an epic that goes through generations and kept me engaged from the scene-setting opener. The Biloxi setting is another enjoyable piece of this book, including the dramatic history of Hurricane Camille, an affection for Gulf seafood and an overall Southern feel. The narrator occasionally feels over-the-top with his various southern accents but it’s overall a most enjoyable listen.
“I Must Say: My Life as a Humble comedy Legend,” written and narrated by Martin Short (2014). If you like comedians, show business or heartfelt stories, treat yourself to Short’s memoir, a surprising mix of comedy and tragedy and even a dash of life advice. Among many other things, Short is best friends with comedian Steve Martin and a co-star of the recent hit series “Only Murders in the Building.”
“The Vanishing Half” by Brit Bennett (2020), narrated by Shayna Small. A complex novel about twin sisters from a small Louisiana town, inseparable as children, who ultimately choose to live in two very different worlds, one black and one white. This fascinating novel, a former Shreve Memorial Library “One Book, One Parish” read, is about family, race and choices people make.
Let me know if you’re a fan of audiobooks and recommend your favorites. Happy Listening!
Columnist Judy Christie is the author of 18 books, including the fictional “Gone to Green” series and the nonfiction “Before and After: The Incredible Real-Life Stories of Orphans Who Survived the Tennessee Children’s Home Society,” now in its fifth printing in trade paperback. Co-authored with Lisa Wingate, it is the true sequel to Wingate’s bestselling novel “Before We Were Yours.” If you’d like Christie to speak virtually to your book club, see www.judychristie.com or visit her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JudyChristieAuthor.
This article originally appeared on Monroe News-Star: Audiobooks flourish; half a dozen to sample
